Description
Adult females reach up to 26.9 mm SVL. This species can be diagnosed by the following combination of characters: (1) disc on Finger III wider than finger; (2) Finger I longer than Finger II; (3) lack of fringing on fingers; (4) disc on Toe IV wider than toe; (5) fringing on outer edges of Toes I and V; (6) straight keel on inner tarsus; (7) webbing formula on toes I1–2II1–3III2–3IV4–2V; (8) no dorsolateral stripe; (9) pale white oblique lateral stripe from middle of flank to groin; (10) no ventrolateral stripe; (11) chest with diffuse irregular spotting, not in form of collar; (12) venter either uniformly pale or marked with melanophores; (13) ventral pattern consistent between sexes; (14) smooth dorsal and ventral skin; (15) indistinct tympanum (Barrio-Amoros and Brewer-Carias 2008).

Slightly wide head. Snout is blunt laterally, nearly truncate dorsally and ventrally. Indistinct straight canthus rostralis with a nearly flat loreal region. Nares are near tip of snout, directed slightly posterolaterally. Indistinct tympanum. Long tongue with median lingual process. Dorsolateral stripe and ventrolateral stripe are absent, but the oblique lateral stripe extends from the groin to the middle of the flank. Irregular spotting on chest. Smooth dorsal and ventral skin. Well-defined, posteriorly projecting skin flap, well above vent. Moderate-sized hand with expanded discs on all fingers. Fingers lack fringes, but toes have indistinct fringes on the outer edges of Toe I and V. Finger III is not swollen. No ulnar tubercles or ulnar fold. Toes have slightly expanded discs with moderate webbing. Straight inner tarsal keel. Moderately long hind limbs, with adpressed heel reaching or slightly surpassing the eye. Males have large vocal slits (Barrio-Amoros and Brewer-Carias 2008).

In life, the dorsum is brown with darker irregular spots. Venter and ventral surfaces of thighs are yellow or orange, in both males and females. Pale white or yellow oblique lateral stripe. Flanks are black, with silvery-white spots lower on the flank, and are sometimes bordered with brown-orange stripes. The region under the eye is pale brown to orange. Upper lips have small blue spots (Barrio-Amoros and Brewer-Carias 2008).

In preservative, the dorsum is dark to light brown. Dorsal patterning varies from absent to a conspicuous set of three irregular marks. Venter may be uniformly light, brown, or marbled. Indistinct black stripe with an irregular row of white spots below runs across the tip of snout and continues through eye, over arm, to the groin. Pale white oblique lateral stripe which may be solid or broken. Arms pale gray with darker transverse bars. Fingers and toes are a light gray with darker gray rings. Discs on fingers and toes may be whitish. Dark brown upper lips with small white spots (Barrio-Amoros and Brewer-Carias 2008).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Venezuela

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

Endemic to Venezuela. Holotype and paratopotypes were found on the southern slope of the mountain Sarisariñama-tepui, Camp IV, Estado Bolivar, Venezuela at an elevation of 1,108 m asl. Sarisariñama tepui reaches a maximum elevation of 2,100 m at the summit. It is connected to two neighboring massifs (Jaua-tepui and Guanacoco-tepui), at about 400 m asl, and Anomaloglossus moffetti may possibly be able to reach these massifs as well. This species lives in cascading streams near waterfalls or in the spray zone of waterfalls, and in forest streams (Barrio-Amoros and Brewer-Carias 2008).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
No calls were heard and tadpoles remain unknown (Barrio-Amoros and Brewer-Carias 2008).

Comments
The species is named after photographer Mark Moffett, who is famous for his ant photography (Barrio-Amoros and Brewer-Carias 2008).

References

Barrio-Amoros, C. L., and Brewer-Carias, C. (2008). ''Herpetological results of the 2002 expedition to Sarisariñama, a tepui in Venezuelan Guayana, with the description of five new species.'' Zootaxa, 1942, 1-68.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2010 Anomaloglossus moffetti: Sarisarinama Rocket Frog <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/7217> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Nov 26, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 26 Nov 2024.

AmphibiaWeb's policy on data use.